Travel Question: How should I explore the Galapagos?

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Make the most of the archipelago’s incredible wildlife with a cruise (LFPuntel/iStock)

Q I want to visit the Galapagos. What is the best way to go about it? I live in Berkshire, if that is relevant.

Name withheld

A First, fly on Avianca, the Colombian airline. It has overnight nonstops from Heathrow to Bogota, with connections to both Quito and Guayaquil – the capital of Ecuador and the main airport for the Galapagos, respectively. (The return flights are also overnight, which on a trip of more 5,000 miles is a benefit.)

Quito is well worth a 24-hour stay to explore the city’s colonial core. Then fly for a couple of hours over the Pacific to the small, barren island of Baltra to board a four-day cruise. Some say that you need at least a week on a vessel to make the most of the amazing wildlife. But I believe four days is enough for you to get an extremely vivid picture of the unique ecosystem.

The standard pattern for each day is to have a series of visits to islands, with naturalist guides to help you understand the remarkable creatures that have made these scattered islands their home. The rough rule of cruises in the Galapagos: the bigger the ship, the better the facilities (to a maximum of about 100 passengers), but small and friendly means that shore excursions do not involve lots of waiting around.

Try to choose a cruise that ends not back at Baltra, the airport where you arrived, but at Puerto Ayora on the island of San Cristobal – the main commercial centre for the archipelago, with a wonderful museum, some great walks and a real sense of being a laid-back Latin American town. I wish I had allowed more time here. You could even contemplate a boat across to Isla Isabela for a day or two.

You can fly direct from San Cristobal to mainland Ecuador. On the way back to the UK, since you are guaranteed to land at Guayaquil, I suggest you spend a night at this very different and friendly city. Ideally, spend 24 hours in Bogota too, to get three Latin American cities for very little extra cost.

For my trip in 2018 I booked through a company called Revealed Travel, which was very good at recommending the most appropriate ship, as well as organising city hotels and tours and getting good seats on the Avianca flights.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder